Many exercise machines have been disclosed or put into actual use in which a cable is drawn against a resistance source by the individual exercising with the machine Typically, these machines include a handle attached to one end of a cable with a resistance source, such as weights, opposing pulling of the cable. Different exercises can be performed by adjusting the vertical position at which the cable leaves the machine. Such adjustability, however, provides only a limited variety of exercises.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,855 discloses exercise apparatus in which the handle, grasped by the individual using the apparatus, can undergo three degrees of movement as it is positioned for a selected exercise. Although such apparatus provides added adjustability, whereby many more exercises are possible, the particular arrangement disclosed in this patent, which includes mounting the handle on a telescoping arm, lacks sufficient strength and stability when constructed from conventional components or becomes very expensive to manufacture when special components are used to provide greater strength and stability.
In another exercise apparatus sold by Elgin Exercise Equipment Corporation of Des Plaines, Illinois, the handle grasped by the user is movable to the desired position by a trolley which moves along a curved track. This apparatus also provides added facility for a variety of different exercises. However, the framework support structure of this exercise apparatus also provides only limited strength and stability when constructed from conventional components or becomes very expensive to manufacture when special components are used to provide greater strength and stability. In addition, framework support structures of this type can present certain hazards to the user of the equipment. A snapped cable can emerge from the framework support structure and injure the user. Also, there is inadequate protection against inadvertent exposure of body parts, such as fingers, to certain of the internal working parts of the equipment and this too can lead to injury.